Hope Is A Thing With Feathers
by ebonynightwriter
Summary: be-the-peaf; Prompt #39 / ATLA AU – 100 years into a worldwide war, the Avatar appears as a country boy from the Southern Pole. / Avatar!Sokka. Suki. Sukka.


**Title: **Hope Is A Thing With Feathers**  
Word Count: **6,187**  
Summary:** [ATLA AU – 100 years into a worldwide war, the Avatar appears as a country boy from the Southern Pole. | Avatar!Sokka. Suki. Sukka.]

**A/N: **_this is the second longest fic I've ever written and I'm sooooo tired of it at this point someone take it away from me shuuuu *tosses it to the wind*_

_**Originally published on tumblr on November 9th.**_

-.-

**be-the-peaf ·** Prompt 039 – date night

-.-

Word spreads slowly.

Most people chalk it up to rumors, or folklore. Traders making their way back from the icy south speak tales of the last waterbender; a boy living in home made of snow who can raise the seas at the slight of his hand. The children make faces, _'awww'_ and _'oooo'_at every remark and gaze in wonder as the old men wave their arms in the air, re-creating the almost mystical tale of how the boy saved their ship from being trapped in the ice.

And even with all of the tradesmen's wild tales, there's no real proof that he is the Avatar. But one-hundred years of fighting and despair can cause any rumor to create a spark, and after weeks of ships coming in and out of port news finally comes that the "Avatar" is sailing to Ba Sing Se to be trained in the art of earthbending. A fleet of ships from the capital is on its way to escort the Avatar to the city; they will make port on Kyoshi Island to gather supplies and refresh the crew.

Four nights before the fleet from the Earth Kingdom is set to arrive, an unknown ship lands in the waters of the Unagi Bay.

Suki is almost asleep when Governor Oyaji throws open her door, lantern swinging in hand, and tells her of the ships arrival, instructing her to get the girls. She's up in an instant, pulling on her uniform and grabbing her fans as she runs out to the other warrior's homes, slamming the doors into the wall as her voice echoes into the night. Suki puts her fans into the strap of her belt and they press into her stomach as she and the other warriors run down the hill, along the path that will lead them to the bay.

Oyaji and some of the watch guards stand outside the path on the tree line, just before the opening to the water. The moon casts long shadows through the trees, disguising their presence and illuminating the water around the lone ship. Suki crouches next to her second-in-command, Saiya, and the clouds cover the moon. Everything is dimmer, shrouded in darkness but she can still make out the mass floating on the water's surface.

"Just one ship?"

"Looks like it. Must be a band of pirates, or bounty-hunters from the North." Saiya says, squinting her eyes in hopes of getting a better view of the ship. The Governor moves through the brush to them, the lantern still in his hand, but the flame is extinguished.

"Word has spread from the capital of the Avatar's return." He says, his gaze flickering between the two of them. "They must be out to capture him for some kind of reward."

"Well, it's a shame they didn't get the timing right." She replies, and turns back to the warriors behind her. "Saiya and I will lead two groups down the beach, one of the left and right side of the ship. Be fast and quiet – don't let them see you. We'll take them out when they jump down to pull ashore."

The warriors nod and Saiya takes her group to spread out along the shadows of the trees. The ship is still in the water, its bottom scrapping on the edge of the shore, and the crew would have to climb out to pull it up the beach so it wouldn't get washed away by the morning tide. That's when they would strike.

The clouds pass the moon and Suki leans toward the beach, watching the men that walk the deck. There are three of them in total – two men of average height and a shorter one. Probably a teen, judging by the scrawny look of his arms. The pirates turn and walk back toward the cabin of the ship, speaking in low voices that Suki couldn't hear if she tried and she steps out from the trees, giving a quick wave to the girls to move down and surround the ship. Water splashes on her robes as her back presses against the hull and she draws one of her fans, waiting for the men to jump down.

The sound of footsteps on the wooden deck grow closer and after a moment the teen and one of the men jump into the water, a bundle of rope crossed between them as they march to the shore. Suki and the others sneak as quietly as they can, but the water is no place to hold a sneak attack – and when the teen turns to investigate the noise she lunges, pinning him to the ground.

"What the – Let me go!" the boy spites out, his mouth half-filled with seawater. Suki picks him up from the ground and twists his arm behind his back just as Saiya and her team overtake the other man. The rope the two were carrying floats in the water, trailing back toward the ship. The taller of their two captives struggles against the girls.

"Hakoda! We've got some trouble!" he yells and the other man Suki saw is at the front of the ship in an instant, and his entire being flattens when he catches sight of them, like the wind has been drawn from his body. It's still a dark night but Suki can make out his old features in the moonlight. Between him and the thin boy in her hands, they certainly don't look the pirating type. But then again, any good man could turn to a life at sea and plunder nowadays.

"Don't move! We have your men!" Suki yells, pulling the boy back toward shore. "I'm afraid you have your timing wrong; the Avatar's not supposed to arrive till next week."

The boy opens his mouth to speak but Suki presses the edge of her fan into his throat, cutting him off. The man, Hakoda, jumps from the ship, and the remaining warriors surround him on all sides. He raises his arms meekly as they present their fans at him. There was no way he could fight them off or get to his men.

"I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding." Hakoda says, stepping forward but Suki presses her fan harder against the boy's throat, causing him to gag and he stops. "Easy, just tell us what you want us to do."

"For starters, you can get back on your ship and never come to this island again." She says. "And if you even think about coming back here for the Avatar, I can assure you we won't be so kind a second time."

"Well that'll be a little hard to do."

"And why is that?"

"Because you're holding onto him."

Suki blinks. "What are you talking about?"

"That's me." The boy croaks, pushing against her fan long enough to get a word out. "I'm the Avatar."

She stares at the boy. "What?"

"Suki! What's going on?" Oyaji yells, running down the beach with his now lit lantern swinging in his grasp. He holds it to the boy's face and the other man, then out to the ship. "What's going on here? Why are these pirates still here?"

The boy glares at him. "Hey, we're not–"

"They say he's the Avatar, Governor." Suki replies quickly, letting the boy go with one last twist of his arm. He stumbles forward, almost falling to his knees and gets up with a cross expression aimed at her and Oyaji as he rubs his sore arm. The boy opens his mouth at her but the leader brings the lantern to his face, looking at him closely. Hakoda crosses the water to the beach, reaching over his belt to reveal a small scroll that was tucked across the band.

"My name is Hakoda, and this," he says, slapping a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Is my son, Sokka, the Avatar and the man other there is Bato. We received summons from Ba Sing Se a week ago, requesting that Sokka go to the city to be trained in earthbending."

"Wait a minute." Suki steps forward, eyeing the boy from head to toe as Hakoda hands the Governor the scroll. "You're telling me this scrawny kid is the world's only hope? The Avatar?"

Sokka gaps. "Who're you calling scrawny?!"

Hakoda ignores him, his attention turned at Oyaji. "Are you the leader of this island?"

"Yes, I am Governor Oyaji." The old man replies, brushing the edge of his gray beard. "But, sir, we were told that an Earth Kingdom fleet would be travelling down South to escort you to the city! We had no idea you would be stopping here by yourself!"

"My apologizes, Governor. We just thought we'd get a head start on Sokka's journey and meet the fleet midway." Hakoda says. "We didn't want to put our village at risk by word spreading that the Avatar was in the Southern Pole."

"Oh, well." Oyaji looks away from the group, his eyes saddened. "I'm afraid you might be too late. With all the ships and traders sailing about the waters, word of the Avatar's return is hopping about like wild rabaros! I'm sure there are already Fire Nation ships patrolling the waters around here, if not by your village."

Sokka stares at the ground as Oyaji talks, his previous anger at Suki quelled by pregnant silence. Suki feels almost uncomfortable watching him and there's a heavy feeling that sweeps over her that she can't quiet put her finger on in the moment, but she knows it's familiar. The Governor also notices the change in the Avatar's demeanor and acts quickly to change the subject.

"But I'm sure everything will be just fine! If there's anything I've heard about the Water Tribes over my many years, it's that they are a proud and strong community! I'm sure they wouldn't give up without a fight!"

Hakoda smiles and gives his son a reassuring touch on the shoulder. "That is true."

"Well now, let's not stand out here in the cold all night! You must be tired from your long voyage. I'll have rooms set up for you in the inn; you may walk with us back to the meeting hall until they have been prepared."

Hakoda bows. "Thank you for your hospitality. We'll get our ship pulled in and head up."

"Would you like some help?" Saiya asks but Bato chuckles and grins at the girl as he and Hakoda grab the soggy rope. Sokka stays in his place at the front of the shore.

"I think we can manage." Bato says and looks back at the boy. "You ready, Sokka?"

Sokka nods and steadies his feet in the sand. Drawing in a long breath, he raises his arms in front of him, and exhales, leaning forward on the balls of his feet and the water around the ship begins to shift away from its usual push-and-pull, gathering up on all sides of the hull. Then Sokka brings his arms back, turning his wrists to the ground as the water moves at his command, lifting the ship up from the shore. He holds the pose as Hakoda and Bato to pull the ship into the sand and everyone around her has the same expression on their face; wonderment and awe.

Suki's never seen much bending before, but she thinks waterbending might be one of the most amazing things she's seen in her life. She can't help but stare at the boy as he releases the water back into its natural form and he stands tall in the sand. Proud and firm. Beside her, the Governor claps with joy.

"Wonderful!" he says with glee. "Now, let's get going. Suki! You and the girls wake the inn-keeper and prepare the Avatar's rooms."

"Yes, sir." Suki says, bowing quickly before heading up the hill with the others. The girls are already chatting away as they walk to the village, glancing back at the bay to catch a glimpse at the would-be-saviour-of-the-world and Suki can't find it in herself to tell them to behave. It's been a while since Kyoshi has gotten such a celebrity, she should count herself lucky to be able to see this new day.

"I've never seen waterbending before!"

"None of us have!"

"It was amazing! Like magic!"

Saiya smiles and looks at her friend.

"But you really twisted his arm hard there, Suki! Think he'll be alright?" she says, hanging a hand on her friend's shoulder. Suki shrugs.

"If he isn't, I don't think I'll hear the end of it."

Everyone laughs, including Suki, who cracks a small smile at the girls. At the front of the village, Suki stops and turns to everyone.

"You girls go to meeting hall; it won't take all of us to prepare a couple of rooms." She says and the younger girl's face light up and they run past her in a flash, a straight path to the hall. Saiya laughs beside her, shaking her head as they walk to the inn.

"You should have told them to go to bed." She says, putting a hand at her hip. "They'll be falling asleep at the tables soon enough."

"They're excited to see the newcomers. We'll let them have their fun for now." She replies. "Besides, it won't take long to get this done."

She knocks on the inn door and opens it, stepping into a room lite by a single candle in the corner.

"Mr. Fushii!"

There's a snort, a moan and a groan before Mr. Fushii, the inn-keeper comes wandering in from the back hall with a lite candle in his hand.

"Suki? Saiya?" he asks, raising the light to them. "What are you girls doing here this late?"

"Business, I'm afraid. The Avatar's arrived early. He and his companions need lodging for a few days." She explains. "We'll be happy to help you with any preparations."

The inn-keeper stifles a yawn. "Alright. We'll need to get fresh bedding in the rooms; they should be back here. Come with me."

Mr. Fushii walks into the back hall and opens a closet door. Dust flies out as he sets the candle on the ground to pull a bundle out of the closet and hands them to Suki.

"There. That should be enough for the lot of them. Let me know if you need anymore."

"We will." Suki replies, taking a few off the pile to hand to Saiya. "We'll prepare the rooms upstairs. You take these to the right side and I'll take the ones on the left."

"Alright. I'll see you at the hall when I'm finished!" Saia says, running off with the blankets under her arms. Suki smiles and walks slowly up the stairs after her.

-.-

She's laying the last blanket on the bed when _he_ walks through the door.

"Oh, it's you." He says flatly, leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed. Suki swipes the fallen hair from her eyes and throws the blanket to a corner of the bed.

"I'm sorry for twisting your arm so hard earlier." she says, smoothing the creases with her hands. "I didn't know you were the Avatar."

"It's okay, it didn't hurt much." Sokka says, swinging his in large circles while he walks slowly across the room. "Ya know, you being a girl and all."

Suki stops at his last comment, her hands hovering above the bed. She turns at him with her hand on her hip, her brow furrowed in a loose 'V' as he stops to run his finger across the edge of the dresser on the far wall.

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

He doesn't even look at her when he responds with a simple shrug. "Well I'm just saying, if you were a guy I probably would have been in a lot more trouble."

"So, what?" Suki says, walking to him. "Just because I'm a girl means I'm not _strong_enough to hurt you?"

Sokka turns around when she reaches him. He shrugs again, this time with a half-grin gracing his lips.

"Well, yeah. Duh." He says. "What else?"

If looks could kill Suki swears he would've been a frozen corpse right there on the floor. But they can't, so instead Suki flattens her lips in a thin white line and marches to the door without another word. Sokka gets a puzzled look on his face as his eyes go between her and the bed that's only half-made, and points at it.

"Hey weren't you supposed to –"

"Goodnight."

She leaves before he can say another word.

-.-

Suki enters the training hall the next morning to find it strangely empty. She and the other warriors always went through drills in the morning before going to perform their duties for the day. She leaves and wonders the village roads, eventually finding the missing warriors dressed in casual clothes, flocking around the inn's door. Saiya is the only one who notices her coming.

"Suki!" she says cheerfully, waving at her friend. "Good Morning!"

The rest of the girls turn at her and Suki approaches them carefully, looking at them one by one.

"What are you doing here?" she asks. "We always have practice in the morning."

"The Governor said we should show the Avatar around the island!"

Suki is taken aback. "What?!" she says, dumbfounded. "All of you can't go off giving a tour; who's going to take watch and patrol the borders and the shipping docks?"

"Don't worry," Saiya says beside her. "We're not all going. Avatar Sokka's going to pick which ones go! He'll be out any minute."

"Oh, that's great." Suki says sarcastically, crossing her arms. The door opens and the Avatar comes into view, a crooked smile on his lips as he sauntering through the group and into the street.

"Alright, listen ladies! The Governor said I can only take two of you with me do view your island, so you'll have to sell yourself hard if you want to spend the _entire day_ with the new saviour of the world."

Some of the girls jump up and down, raising their hands to catch his attention and Suki rolls her eyes at the sight. She stands near the back of the group, barely paying attention as Saiya and Choyou are hand-picked by the Avatar. The rest of the girls groan and Saiya offers a half-hearted smile to them, almost sorry that she was the one picked instead of them. But Suki can tell she's bursting with joy as the Avatar puts his hand on her shoulder.

"Lead the way, ladies!" he says, passing Suki and Saiya waves them goodbye. The rest of the girls kick at the dirt, bowing their heads in disappointment and Suki thinks it's almost pathetic at the way all of them are acting. They're warriors, not children.

She claps her hands to get their attention. "Alright! We've got a lot of work to do! You all know your assignments for today, some of you will have to work extra hard to make up for Saiya and Choyou's absence."

The girls seem to pick up after that and shuffle to get to their assigned stations. Suki puts her hand to her forehead, hoping that the day doesn't get any stranger.

-.-

The island docks are past ridge a turn off from the bay. They're home to the island's produce market and sales, where the ships come from the Earth Kingdom to buy and sell supplies and goods. Today it's her job to patrol the docks make sure there's no trouble as the ships and sailors come into port. Walking down the line of ships, she sees the Water Tribe men bringing their ship in from the bay, tying it to the dock. Chief Hakoda waves at her when he catches her watching them and she nods back, raising her hand to him. There's not much going on, it might be a quiet day.

Then she turns her head to see Avatar Sokka walking down the path to her, and thinks_there goes that idea._

Suki lingers on them as Saiya stands beside the Avatar, talking animatedly as Chouyo points out things along the dock. Suki ignores them, turning down one of the docking lanes.

"_Back off, old man!"_

She turns at the sudden outburst just in time to see a giant brutish sailor looming over an older man on a dock down the line. Sokka looks at the trouble and takes a step forward.

"I'll–"

A hand sweeps in front of his face.

"_I'll_ handle this." Suki says sternly, her gaze fixed on him. She walks to the dock were the commotion was and Sokka watches her and leans in towards Saiya.

"Is she going to be alright?"

"Of course." She laughs. "She does this all the time."

-.-

"I've told you one times too many, old man." The brute says, jabbing a finger into the man's chest. "Get your stupid cabbages out of my cargo space."

"I was just putting them there until I unloaded my cart." The man points out. "It'll only–"

"Excuse me." Suki says, drawing the attention of the two. "Is there a problem here?"

The brute steps away from the man. "Yeah, there is. This sleazy trader won't get his damn vegetables out of _my_ unloading space."

"Well, it appears he was here first." She notes, moving her hand to the stack of cabbage crates on the dock. "If you'll just follow me, we can wait until he's finished."

"Listen here, I've been out on that scrap of a boat all morning collecting fish. I've got to get it out of this heat before the whole load starts to stink in the hull."

"It'll only be a moment," the cabbage-man says. "I'll just get my cart and–"

"Enough about you're cart! Get these cabbages out of my way!" the brute yells, kicking a stack of crates into the water. The cabbage-man goes down to his knees, wailing.

"My cabbages!"

Suki puts an arm on the brute before he can go at another stack.

"I'd stop that if I were you."

The brute snarls at her.

"Let go of me, girl."

She does, and the brute takes a swing at her, his massive arm sweeping past her head and she takes hold of his wrist, pressing her other hand against the back of his shoulder to spin him around before letting him free. He spins, dizzy and disoriented and stumbles right off the dock. He drenched with water, and comes up cursing all manner of ill at her and the other men. Suki ignores him as the other sailors from his ship come to take him away. Suki turns back to the cabbage-merchant and asks him where he keeps his cart.

From the front of the dock, Saiya smiles.

"See?" she says, bumping her elbow into the Avatar. "I told you she could handle herself."

"Yeah…"

His eyes haven't left her once.

-.-

Suki flops down on her bed and yawns. It was a tiring day after all. She hopes tomorrow will be better, but something told her that the Avatar would steal away more of her warriors.

"The nerve of that guy…" she mutters, rolling to her side. "No respect at all…"

"That was pretty amazing back there."

She jumps at the voice, shooting straight up in the bed to see the Avatar leaning coyly against her door. She stares at him for a moment before finding her voice.

"W-what are you doing here?!" she asks. "This is my home!"

"I knocked." He says, stepping away from the wall to point behind him. "Your door was unlocked."

"That doesn't give you the right to just barge in here!" she yells. "I could've–"

"I'd like you to train me." He says suddenly. Suki feels the breath leave her lungs and stares at him.

"Excuse me?" she asks, raising her brow. Sokka shifts, rubbing his hand behind his head.

"I'm sorry if I offended you yesterday. I didn't mean to insult you." He says. "I just thought it was incredible how you handled that guy at the docks today. _You_ were incredible."

He kneels, facing his head to the floor.

"I would be honored if you taught me."

"I- uh…" she shakes her head, steadies herself to face the window. She's silent for a few moments, tapping her finger to her arm. Sokka continues to kneel, his eyes closed and she looks down at him, thinking that she can almost see the glisten of sweat on his neck. She wonders how long he had waited to come in to ask her this question, how long he'd spent pondering outside her door to knock and find no answer.

And finally, with a heavy sigh, she says:

"We don't usually teach outsiders, let alone _boys_…"

The Avatar lifts his head. Suki smirks.

"…but I supposed I could make _one_ exception."

-.-

The next morning is one filled with people getting in her face.

"Is it true?" the girls ask during practice. "You have a date with the Avatar?"

"Girls, it's not a date." She says. "I'm just showing him a few of our moves tonight, is all."

"After sunset."

"Alone."

"Together."

Suki shakes with a laugh as the girls press her on all sides.

"Alright, alright. Call it what you will but to me it's _just training_, okay? I'm not interested in the Avatar; I just want to rough him up a bit before he goes on his way."

"You can say that now, but I'm sure you'll have a different story in the morning!" one Saiya sings from the back and soon the hall is filled with the girls voices as they sing_'Suki and Sokka. Sitting in a tree–'_

"Enough!" she says. "Let's get back to practice."

-.-

At sunset, Suki has Sokka prepare to train by following the islands traditions.

_All_ of them.

"Do I really have to wear this thing?" Sokka says, pulling at the uniform on his body. "It seems…. Girlish."

"Yes, or I'm not going to teach you." She says, taking hold of his shoulders. "Now stand over here. I'll start off slow so you can concentrate on the feel of our technique. Block my arm for a few turns and try to attack when you think you can."

She pulls out her fan and slowly sweeps her arm at him. He lifts his arm to stop hers, and they continue this, moving along the floor like peacock-flamingo birds walking in the shallow ocean waters. It was almost like a dance, if Sokka wasn't being so awkward about it. Every time she got to close to him, he would get this strange look about his face and step away.

"Don't think about it." She says, bringing her hand to his chest (he pulls it down with his palm on her wrist.) "Just feel the motions."

After a while they go faster, the arms and legs swinging around the room. Suki takes her fans out to add onto the challenge, and he works hard to be able to block them carefully, as if their edges were as sharp as swords. He hasn't made a move to hit her yet, he's too busy concentrating the motion. But soon enough, he sees and opening amidst their fray where she's left her arm out a little too wide and his hand sticks out to strike-

-and she pokes her fan into his elbow, pushing him to the floor.

"Pretty good, for a beginner." She says, hiding her smile with the front of her fan. Sokka gets up and she stands close to him, taking his arms and pulling them around to a fighting position. "If you strike as soon as you seen an opening, you'll risk the chance of losing the defense you'd gained. Be patient, move your way into the attack and _always_keep your guard up."

She takes a few steps back as she finishes positioning his arms and feet. She runs at him and somehow he manages to grab her by the arm and push her to the floor. She's surprised, and Sokka smirks, crossing his arms smugly. She can't help but smile as she gets off the floor but turns around, hiding it from Sokka.

"Good." She says. "It looks like you're starting to get the hang this."

"Sokka! There you are!"

Suki turns to see Hakoda standing at the entrance, looking over the boy with a questioning look.

"What are you wearing, son?"

"It's a warrior's uniform." He says. "Suki was showing me some of her island's technique."

"Well, that can wait for later. Come on, Bato and I need your help loading the ship with the supplies we've bought. The escort should be here by tomorrow morning. They'll want to get back to their city as soon as they can."

"Right." He says, following his father out the door. "See you later, Suki."

She watches him leave and sighs into the sunlight still fading over the trees.

-.-

She takes a walk to clear her mind, eventually finding peace sitting on a fallen tree by the Unagi Bay. The moon is high in the sky, shimmering on the water with white light and she puts her chin against her fingers, sighing on the cool air of the night. The days had been whirling past her so quickly with so many new things; she didn't know how to react.

Suki lifts her head to the sky, and thinks about counting the stars. But their too dim in the moonlight, and another thought runs through her head.

_He'll be leaving soon_.

She's puzzled at the thought. She doesn't know why she's so concerned all of the sudden, just yesterday morning she had been rolling her eyes at the boy, berating his supposed "charm" and seething at his huge ego. Pushing air through her nose, she lowers her gaze and reaches her hand behind her where a small scroll lays next to the log. It's old and dusty from being hidden in her home and she rolls it out, reading over the words carefully, like it was her first time reading it. But it wasn't, she had read them many times before. So many she had lost count.

_"To Kyoshi Island_,

_By the direct orders of the Earth King, all able-bodied men of Kyoshi Island are to prepare and wait for the call of arms. The Earth Kingdom is losing its hand in this war, and requires its loyal citizens to fight back. There will be an escort arriving in a few days' time…"_

Suki puts the scroll on the ground between her legs. She can't read anymore.

A twig cracks behind her and he freezes as she turns.

"H-hey." He says, rubbing his neck. "Saiya said I might find you out here."

"You were looking for me?" she asks and he walks around her, taking a seat on the tree.

"Well, yeah." He shrugs. "I didn't thank you for your help before."

Suki smiles. "You could have waited until tomorrow, you know."

"Must have slipped my mind." He says, his gaze dropping to his feet and he notices the scroll, pointing at it. "What's that?"

"It's nothing." She says, moving it to her side.

"It looked kind of like the scroll that was sent to me." He says, rubbing his chin.

"It's just a memory." She looks away from him, her hand feeling the rough bark of the tree. "Nothing important."

When she looks up, Sokka is leaning toward her.

"Tell me what happened."

Suki sighs, and puts the scroll between her hands.

"It happened a few years ago, summons from the Earth King requesting that all of Kyoshi Island's men be taken to the villages to the North to fight in the war. An escort came from the capital to take them to their destination, but they never made it. Their ships were attacked by the Fire Nation Navy before they made it halfway there. Everyone was either killed or left to drown," she says with a heavy sigh. "Including my father."

Suki's hand tightens around the scroll and Sokka puts his hand on hers.

"I know how you feel-"

"No you don't." she cut him off. "The Water Tribes have been secluded from the war for years."

"That's not true." He says. "When I was nine, the Fire Nation attacked my tribe. They were looking for waterbenders, even though they had all been taken years before. They killed my sister and my mother for trying to protect her."

"Your sister was a waterbender?" Suki asks. "But, you're the Avatar. Why didn't they…"

"I didn't know I could bend until three years ago." He says, lifting his palm to his face. "It's funny, before I found out I was a bender, I always thought it was stupid. Like magic or something…"

"And now you're the Avatar."

"Yeah." He swallows. "I am."

Suki leans into his shoulder and her head feels fuzzy. She wishes he didn't have go off to the war. What good would he be, anyway? With no one to help him master air or fire, he couldn't be much help on the battlefield. And it could take years for him to master the elements he has, how long could the world hold out in that time? But all of these questions, the wishes, were stupid. Sokka was going to the Earth Kingdom to fulfill his destiny and there was nothing anyone could do to stop that from happening. Suki blinks, listening to him breathe in her ear and her eyes rest on a faint speck the horizon.

"Look." She says, half-hearted. "There's your escort."

Sokka turns his head to the bay and stands up suddenly. His hands ball into fists as he sees a trail of black smoke following the ship.

"That's not all that's here." He says. "The Fire Nation is coming."

-.-

They sprint back to the village.

It's quiet; most of the villagers have already gone to bed and those who are left stand around the roads or between doorways, saying their goodbyes for the night. Suki spots Saiya and some of the other girls standing in the road and grabs onto a building to stop herself.

"Saiya!" she yells. "Get everyone up and sound the alarm! There's a Fire Nation ship at the bay, they're almost here."

Saiya doesn't even have time to respond before Sokka grabs her arm, pulling her into another run.

"We have to get to my father and the ship." He says, his voice a mess of pants and hurried breathes. "If we can get it out to the bay I might be able to stop them from landing."

Suki nods. "Where are they now?"

"Hopefully still at the docks! They had to look over things before tomorrow."

-.-

Hakoda sees them running from atop the ship.

"Sokka!" he shouts. "What are you doing back here?"

"There's Fire Nation, Dad!" he yells, coming to a stop on the docks. "We've got to hurry and get the ship out there; they're almost to the bay!"

"What?"

"They must have heard about your arrival from traders in the area." Suki says. "They followed your escort straight to you."

Hakoda is speechless for a few moments before looking to his men. "Alright, you heard them! Let's get this thing ready to take off."

"Okay." Sokka steps on the gangplank. "I'll be up front; maybe I can bend the ship out of-"

"No, Sokka." Hakoda says. "We're not going to fight."

Sokka stares at his father.

"What?!" he seethes. "How can we _not fight_?!"

Suki puts her hand on his shoulder. "He's right, Sokka. You and the men have to get away from here while the Fire Nation is distracted in the village."

He turns to her. "But-"

"There are going to be a lot of battles in your path." She says. "But tonight is not one of them. Go, take your ship to Ba Sing Se, or Omashu. Just get away from here-"

"I'm not walking away." He closes his hand. "I'm not leaving you."

"You're not."

She puts her hand on his cheek just as the Water Tribe men take hold of his arms and drag him aboard. He yells, scrambling to get free but Bato unties the ship from the dock and pushes it into the water. Suki stands at the edge for a moment before the sound of the alarm bell reaches her ears. She turns around and head back up the hill and down it, where a group of firebenders wait for her on large rhinos. There's fire, a heat swirling all around her but her fans brush it aside to feel the cool air on her hands. The Avatar is long gone by now, a speck floating on the horizon, away from this place and that's the way things should be because hope is a thing with feathers and the wind has to take it where it needs to be. It's not here, in this place.

It never was.

**:Fin:**

_I was going to have Sokka come in a *dramatically* save the day~ but I've been writing this for the last 6 days and at this point I really just want to stop writing this so :/ I'll leave that to you._

_Leave a comment / review! I'd love to know what you thought of this! :)_


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